Bengaluru, 02 June 2025 — In a compelling address at Chanakya University’s Distinguished Lecture Series held at the Yuva Patha in Bengaluru, Sri Sanjeev Sanyal, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), Government of India, spoke on the critical theme of “Process Reforms: The Road to Vikasit Bharat”. His lecture offered a thought-provoking roadmap for reshaping India’s institutional and governance architecture to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Drawing from his vast experience in public policy, economic strategy, and institutional reform, Sri Sanyal highlighted that while India has made remarkable progress in macroeconomic management and digital transformation, the next leap toward becoming a Vikasit Bharat—a fully developed nation—requires deep-rooted process reforms across various levels of government.
At the heart of his address was a call to revisit default lists, a metaphor for legacy systems and rules that continue to govern new realities. He emphasized the need to question and discard default assumptions and inherited administrative practices that no longer serve their purpose. “India must stop adding complexity and instead start subtracting inefficiency,” he stated.
One of the key pillars of reform he discussed was administrative streamlining—simplifying bureaucratic structures and workflows to ensure faster decision-making and more accountable governance. This, he argued, is vital for unlocking the productivity of both government institutions and private enterprise.
Sri Sanyal also underscored the importance of regulatory and legislative changes, calling for a bold review of outdated laws and redundant compliances. “We are still governed by regulatory frameworks, many of which were designed for a colonial or socialist era,” he remarked. “These need to be rewritten for a confident, aspirational, and globally competitive India.”
A significant portion of the lecture focused on increasing state capacity—enhancing the ability of public institutions to deliver outcomes efficiently. He stressed the importance of better training, deployment of technology, and performance-linked systems to transform government functioning from rule-bound to outcome-driven.
In line with this vision, Sri Sanyal advocated for the removal of unnecessary state-mandated requirements that stifle innovation and burden citizens and businesses alike. He noted that ease of living and ease of doing business are not separate, but interlinked goals.
Finally, he called for the merging and restructuring of outdated government agencies, many of which suffer from overlapping functions, bloated hierarchies, and unclear mandates. By redesigning these institutions to reflect today’s realities, India can create a governance structure that is agile, transparent, and responsive.
The lecture was attended by a wide spectrum of stakeholders, including students, academics, policymakers, industry professionals, and civil society members. Prof. M K Sridhar, Chancellor and Padma Shri Awardee, Sri M P Kumar, Chancellor, Prof. Yashavantha Dongre, Vice Chancellor, Sri Nagaraj Reddy, Chief Operating Officer of Chanakya University, welcomed Sri Sanyal and described his ideas as “visionary, practical, and essential for India’s long-term progress.”
The session concluded with a dynamic Q&A, where Sri Sanyal engaged directly with the audience, addressing questions on implementation, political will, and citizen participation in the reform process.
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